Home Schooling
by KuriSari
Summary: Rated: G Synopsis: Miles suffers from a crush on his best friend Phoenix, but one meeting for a school project makes for an unexpected turnabout. DL-6 Never Happened High School AU


Title: Home Schooling

Rating: G

Pairing: Phoenix/Edgeworth

Synopsis: Miles suffers from a crush on his best friend Phoenix, but one meeting for a school project makes for an unexpected turnabout.

 _Attention: DL-6 Never Happened + High School AU fic! One mention of Hispanic/Latino!Phoenix. Possible OOC-ness possible due to AU setting._

Life was not always fair on Miles Edgeworth.

He was 'blessed' with a thatch of prematurely grey hair and equally uncolored eyes. His reserved and introverted nature spurred the impression of a typical outsider. And his lack of interest in romantic conquests blocked off the female groups (and they were not scarce) whose type he fit exactly. Intelligent. Confident. With a mysterious aura. His natural glare making him unapproachable and thus interesting for certain personalities.

Well. Maybe life was not always unfair, either. But there was one thing, one unavoidable and unsolvable injustice in his life that he could, by no means-

"Hey, Miles. Can I borrow a pen? It's kinda urgent…"

The addressed teen let out a sigh that was - and, to his embarrassment, sounded - entirely fake. Not like the boy in front of him would notice…

"What did you do now, Wright?"

Unfazed by Miles' annoyed tone, Phoenix Wright grinned with amusement and held up his hands. Which were covered in tendrils of deep blue ink. This time his sigh was genuine.

"This is the third time this week.", he berated whilst bluntly passing over a pen.

Phoenix' grin just broadened as he replied, "Love you, too." and faced back to the blackboard. Just in time to miss the furious blush burning Miles' cheeks.

This. This was it. The biggest turpitude that could befall any person on the planet. And yet it had to happen to eighteen year old Miles Edgeworth. He had a crush on his best friend.

A 'best-friends-since-childhood-unbreakable-bond' kind of crush. The kind of 'childhood sweethearts turned undying love till the end' material. The kind that drove you crazy each day seeing them and talking to them and second-guessing every word you say to not reveal your own puny feelings and ruining the mutual understanding and sympathy between you that made you fall in love with them in the first place.

Miles sighed to himself.

This had been going on for two years already, although it was hard to pinpoint the exact moment of infatuation. It had been a gradual development, an inconspicuous itch that turned into a rash. A mix of hormones jumbling his system and rendering his usual rational thinking useless (it seemed to wither more each day, judging by his less than infrequent daydreams during school hours). It was pathetic.

He sent a disdainful glare towards the spiky hair in front of him. The boy's hand shuffled across the page and dutifully copied the reaction equations on the blackboard. _'As if he'd care about the nature of acetone's molecular structure.'_

This was childish, he knew. Miles' inability of emotional control wasn't Phoenix' fault, but the teen had tried and failed to reason with his feelings. Despite air-tight arguments, considerations of Phoenix' possibly very heterosexual orientation, logical analyses of how negatively an outing of his crush would influence their friendship…

Nothing vanquished his feelings. He was out of options.

 _'Well, there is one option left.'_ , whispered a certain part of his brain. He'd often desired to strangle it. He would not. Never. Confessing to Phoenix about this was completely out of the question, for both their sakes. The chances between rejection and reciprocation stood 98/2 and frankly, Miles valued his only friendship more than to risk it for petty hormonal emissions. He would get through this. Somehow.

Throwing Phoenix a final glare (the other actually sneezed, much to Miles' satisfaction), his fingers reattached to his pen and formulated the now erased equations by memory.

—-

"Miles!"

 _'No matter how bad things are, they can get worse.'_

He turned, a sharper motion today than was his habit, and fixed the approaching Phoenix with a chilling gaze. "What?"

Only one look of confused hurt was needed for regret to bite inside Miles' stomach. "You forgot your pen. Here."

"I didn't." _He had._ "I felt generous and figured you'd likely need it more today."

Immediately he realized his mistake. The school day was actually over, but Phoenix only beamed. "Oh, okay! I almost thought you'd forgotten about that, too. You left class so quickly, I had to hurry to catch up."

It took Miles an embarrassing, long moment to decipher the words behind that joyous grin. "Pardon?"

Phoenix quirked a brow. "The History assignment? The one that's due in a week? The one you haven't stopped nagging about since Monday?" He paused. "Don't tell me you actually forgot…"

An ice block settled in Miles' stomach, pressing for a glare and a snide reply. "Don't be ridiculous, Wright. Of course I didn't forget." _He had. Again._ The thought that his crush started to influence his concentration on work related matters insinuated itself at the corners of his brain, but before the ice block could turn into lead, Phoenix' chuckling distracted him.

"Figures. Well, at my house after you're done with your Student Council meeting, right? See ya!" And gone he was.

Miles stared after him, then at the pen in his grasp. At least he hadn't forgotten the meeting.

The Wright Family residence had always reflected its occupants' very nature, radiating comfort and familiarity regardless if one had never set foot beyond the threshold before. Miles had visited often and overtime had come to associate Phoenix' warm demeanor with cramped shelfs and worn oak flooring. The myriad of happy memories never failed to elicit a smile. Which did absolutely nothing detrimental to his romantic sentimentalities. Spacing out whilst reading included.

"Miles?!" The gentle nudge to his shoulder made him falter no less than Phoenix' raised voice did. "I asked what you thought about this part here."

Blue eyes locked onto his with mild concern, brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Damn it.

"O-Oh? Well." His cheeks filled with heat, embarrassment and nervousness both clogging up his throat now that Phoenix was leaning closer and rendered Miles positively immobile and _god he was still staring at him._ They sat far too close. Miles didn't even dare to take a breath and calm himself which was illogical all by itself. They were on Phoenix' couch with the necessary materials on the table before them. Their distance was perfectly acceptable, by anyone but Miles' standards.

 _'This is pathetic.'_

Then he remembered Phoenix' earlier statement and his head whizzed downwards to the open book on the other's lap. Phoenix' finger rested on a passage that Miles had read a while ago. At least he wouldn't further embarrass himself by ignorance of his work.

"Of course. You see, the times before the Declaration of Independence were not only disruptive in the early American states, but politics and economy in Europe were also vastly affected by-"

"Miles. Something's wrong and we both know it."

He froze. Whether it was by irritation at being interrupted mid-sentence or Phoenix' glare that had tripled in intensity or the calloused hands clasping his shoulders… It hardly mattered. What mattered was that they sat closer than ever now and Miles couldn't move again. "I.. I don't-!"

"No, Miles! You've been acting weird for a while now. Spacing out when you think no one notices, forgetting your things - don't think I didn't see you rushing out of Chemistry earlier! - and forgetting meetings, even with me." At this point Phoenix' rambling halted, voice hushed and eyes filled with sorrow. "It feels like you're growing distant and… Please. You're my best friend and I…"

Miles' rationality was suffering already, what with their waning distance to each other in such a position, but the next words sent pure adrenaline through his veins.

"I-I-I have to tell you something, Miles."

Something in his gaze shifted. The unease and uncertainty mounted into profound quivers and stress, and Miles wouldn't be surprised to see cold sweat on Phoenix' crooked brows. That is, if he even had the right to judge. The student felt his heart hammering against his breastbone, growing painful the more time passed by in silence, and his face was stone solid with tension.

Electricity spread between them and Phoenix shakily exhaled before saying, "I-I like you, Miles. Like, _like_ like you. I have for a while and I… urgh this is hard."

A hand ran through jet-black hair, disarranging its spikes without care as he looked away. "I-I don't want anything to change between us. I know you're busy! Please don't hate me now or grow even more distant, Miles! W-We can be friends as always, right?"

Miles didn't react - couldn't react. Not even when the hopefulness and fear in the other's eyes threatened to overwhelm him because _no, you needn't worry, I feel the same!_ The words lodged in his throat though and he could barely breathe, much less swallow or speak. He had to process this.

Had Phoenix Wright just confessed? _To him?_ Had his crush of two years (and probably before that already, he'd just not recognized it) admitted that he liked Miles, too? How hadn't he noticed!?

Pressure on his arm brought him back to his senses; his elbow suffered an iron-grip from his own right hand. He hated this nervous gesture.

Suddenly a shallow quiver had him looking upwards and Phoenix sat there, twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip with such ferocity it made Miles wince. He tried and failed to keep his voice steady. "I'm… I'm sorry. I know stuff like this makes you uncomfortable and I should've just sucked it up and now I've bothered you with this and you're clearly uncomfortable now and…" The outside lights started to shine in those blue eyes, wobbling and unsteady, and as soon as Miles realized that those were tears something broke inside him.

Phoenix positively squeaked when broadening hands maneuvered his body towards the other's. "No, Wri- _Phoenix._ There is something I should tell you, too, since… Since I feel the same way. I've liked you romantically for a long time, yet never had the courage to tell you. I've tried to ignore it, but thanks to you, I don't need to anymore."

That came out much more suave than expected. Whenever he'd fantasized about such a situation (and damn, he couldn't deny that he had) his imaginary-self had always been colder. Arms crossed and spilling the facts in one sentence. Now he was close, staring into Phoenix' eyes. Which were widening as realization dawned upon him and he blushed, stuttering, "M-Miles..!"

Apparently it was his turn to be at a loss for words, and his next inquiry wasn't what Miles had expected at all. "Can… C-Can I hug you, Miles?"

Being it was his turn to feel embarrassed, the addressed teen didn't fight the heat creeping up his neck and nodded, touched that Phoenix asked for permission first. It wasn't surprising though. They knew each other so well and Miles' general aversion to having someone's hands on him was the first thing one would find out about his person. When it was Phoenix who wrapped his arms around broad shoulders however, aversion was the last thing Miles felt.

"I'm so happy, Miles. I like you so much… I couldn't bear the thought of you hating me."

One didn't even need to see the latino's face to know of its radiant grin. The relief and joy in his voice alone had Miles' heart beating faster. A ridiculous notion since its speed already bordered on imminent cardiac arrest.

If you'd have told him this morning about how the day would turn out, he wouldn't have believed it. But in that moment, on the white faux leather couch and the sunlight filtering around them, Miles couldn't have felt happier. At least until Phoenix spoke again several minutes later.

"Can… Can I kiss you, too, Miles?"

"Don't overdo it."


End file.
